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Even strength

Sled hockey in Ohio sees gradual growth

People with disabilities savor chance to compete

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoTim Bailey practices with members of the Ohio Blades, a local sled hockey team. In sled hockey, a sport for people with disabilities, players sit in bucket seats atop sleds equipped with skate blades.

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoMembers of the Ohio Blades practice at the Dublin Chiller. The club was founded in 2001 by the Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition.

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoMichael Fenster practices with the Ohio Blades. He was born without a tailbone (a condition called sacral agenisis).

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoMichael Cupp (left) crashes into Evan Heller (right) during practice. Cupp was attracted to sled hockey for the same reason that the younger players were: the chance to be active.

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoMorgan Hosbrough and Corey Chiou dress for practice. "For a long time, I felt like I was an outcast," said Hosbrough. "Now I have found people like me. It has given me a sense of belonging."

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoMichael Fenster and Morgan Hosbrough share a laugh. Sled hockey, which originated in Sweden in 1960, has been a Paralympic sport since the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Barbara J. Perenic | Dispatch photoTeens take the ice for the "Friday Night Meltdown" recreational skate as Seth Roush packs up his equipment after practicing with the Ohio Blades.

To sled-hockey players, the ice offers more than a smooth surface: It represents a level playing
field.

At work or school, one might be the man in the wheelchair or the awkwardly lurching girl with
leg braces and a cane.

On the rink, though, they all find freedom for the mind and body.

“I never really had anything I enjoyed doing or could do,” said Scott Jones, 18, of Granville,
who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“I would just stay at home and play video games all the time.”

About four years ago, his parents heard about the Ohio Sled Hockey club and got him
involved.

“It has made all the difference in the world to my son,” said his father, Phelps.

In sled hockey, a sport for people with disabilities, players sit in bucket seats atop sleds
equipped with skate blades. They propel themselves with cut-down hockey sticks, with picks embedded
in the butt ends.

The accommodations give players not only much-welcome mobility but also a coveted feeling of
inclusion.

“For a long time, I felt like I was an outcast,” said Morgan Hosbrough, 17, of Columbus, who was
born with a spinal condition that left her partially paralyzed. “Now, I have found people like me.
It has given me a sense of belonging. I feel like I have found a community where I fit in.”

The sense of community should be strong this weekend at the OhioHealth Ice Haus, where the
Aladdin Shrine Temple will sponsor its 11th annual sled-hockey tournament. Six teams from Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Michigan will participate.

Sled hockey, which originated in Sweden in the early 1960s, has been a men’s Paralympic sport
since the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway. Last year, Hosbrough was selected for the U.S. women’s
national team. The women are hoping to gain Paralympic status in 2018.

The rules are virtually the same as in standard hockey, complete with checking and
penalties.

The Ohio Sled Hockey club was founded in 2001 by the Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition, a
nonprofit offering people with disabilities opportunities to participate in physical
activities.

The same year, New Albany residents Mike and Kelly Fenster learned about sled hockey. Their son,
Michael — just 18 months old at the time — was born without a tailbone (a condition called sacral
agenesis), leaving him with partial paralysis in his legs.

“We strapped him into a sled, practically duct-taped him in,” Mrs. Fenster said.

Three years later, the Fensters helped the Ohio Sled Hockey club split from the coalition to
become its own nonprofit. Now, Mr. Fenster coaches; his wife is the general manager; and Michael,
14, still plays.

In the beginning, Mrs. Fenster said, the state probably had about a half-dozen sled-hockey
players. The club grew slowly, eventually fielding two teams — one for juniors and another for
novices of any age.

In 2011, with the introduction of the Ohio United — a team for advanced players — participation
increased substantially, Mrs. Fenster said.

Now, in addition to the Columbus-based Ohio Blades, Cincinnati and Cleveland field teams under
the Ohio Sled Hockey banner. Mrs. Fenster estimates that 60 to 70 people statewide — including at
least 15 adults — play the sport.

Michael Cupp is among the adult participants.

At a recent practice at the Dublin Chiller, the 39-year-old Cupp looked a bit out of place
seated in his sled next to grade schoolers.

The practice was only his third, he said, so he was comfortable with the situation.

“These . . . (kids) have so much to teach me.”

Cupp has spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal column), which, during the past decade, has
significantly weakened his legs.

He was attracted to sled hockey for the same reason that the younger players were: the chance to
be active.

“I love it because I go home and feel like I got a workout,” he said. “And the people are all
amazing, so, I mean, you get that camaraderie and that team effect.”

Cupp, in the process of relocating to central Ohio from the Dayton area, said he is too
inexperienced to play in the weekend tournament — one of about a dozen in which the club
participates throughout its season, which runs from October to March.

The club has a budget of $10,000 to $25,000 a season, Mrs. Fenster said. It conducts fundraisers
and receives donations from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Aladdin Shrine Temple and
individuals.

The idea is to keep costs down for participants such as Scott Jones, who played sports as a
young child — until muscle weakness forced him to watch his friends from the sidelines.

Sled hockey gives him a sport of his own.

“It has definitely helped me grow as a person,” he said. “I have never felt what I feel being on
the team.”